Learning to skateboard: rolling, turning and stopping on a skateboard!

Let's go! You've made up your mind and bought your board! Your chosen sport is skateboarding! But one of the most common mistakes is wanting to be able to do all the tricks without even mastering the basics. One thing's for sure, skateboarding isn't easy, but with a bit of work and patience you'll get there! So before mastering the ollie, board slide or kickflip and becoming king of the skatepark, here are some simple tips to get you on the move and at ease on your board.

Before tackling this trick, don't forget to put on some protective gear. Besides protecting you effectively, it'll help you feel more at ease as you learn so you'll have way more confidence going into the trick.

HAVING THE RIGHT POSTURE ON YOUR SKATEBOARD

Guess what? There's no such thing as the ideal posture for skateboarding. The most important thing is to find a position that's comfortable for you. Put your board on the ground, preferably on a stable surface that will stop it sliding around (carpet, grass, even the beach ;-)). Place your feet parallel on the board and have your shoulders perpendicular to it.

Tip: Regular, goofy, mongo: which foot should you use to push?

Regular: your left foot goes in front of your right foot, which pushes the board.

Goofy: your right foot goes in front of your left foot, which pushes the board.

Mongo: the front foot is also the pushing foot. It's not necessarily the most comfortable but may make you feel more at ease, so go for it!

READY?! PUSH YOUR SKATEBOARD

Now that you're starting to feel at ease on a stable surface, it's time to start skating! On a flat surface, preferably a tarmacked road, step onto your board with your front foot in line with the parallel bolts. You'll be using your other foot to push the board.

Tip : try to make the movement really broad and regular to give yourself better momentum.

Video of HOW TO PUSH - Skateboard | OXELO TIPS

LET'S GET RIDING! BOARDING ON TARMAC

Adopt the posture you did at the start, reposition your feet perpendicular to your skateboard, with your shoulders parallel, and put the foot that you're using to push yourself on the edge of the board. Keep your back straight and your knees bent in order to stay balanced.

TURNING WITH YOUR SKATEBOARD: EASY PEASY

There's nothing complicated about turning. All you need to do is shift your weight in front or behind your ankle depending on which direction you want to go.

NB: the way the trucks are attached hugely affects how much pressure you place on the board. The less tight the trucks, the easier it is to press on the board. If your trucks are too tight, you'll need to lift the nose in order to move the board right or left.

Video of HOW TO PUSH - Skateboard | OXELO TIPS

BRAKING WITH YOUR SKATEBOARD

There are several ways of braking on a skateboard but most of them are a bit tricky for beginners (you'll get there soon though, don't worry ;-)). In the meantime, the best way of braking on your skateboard is by dragging your back foot (foot that pushes the board) along the floor and gradually slowing down. If you're feeling confident, you can try and do a tail stop. This technique involves pressing down on the back of your board and dragging the tail along the ground. Hey presto!

Video of Comment FREINER (Brake) - Skateboard | OXELO TIPS

Now that you've mastered the basics of skateboarding and you're feeling more comfortable on your board, you can move on to the next step and learn the most technical, classic skateboarding tricks such as the OLLIE, KICKFLIP and even the 360. With a bit (lots ;-)) of patience and effort, you'll soon get to grips with the coolest tricks. Over to you!